Ms. Barakat is a 7th grade ELA teacher. “I want to see the students’ growth, how they come on the 1st day of school to how much they know at the end of the year” Ms. Barakat said. “Seeing children learn is… my reward!” Ms. Barakat, who has dyslexia, didn’t know she had it until her professor kindly advised her to seek professional evaluation for potential dyslexia because he recognized something out of her persistent spelling mistakes and when she failed to submit a well-written report. Before Ms. Barakat knew she had dyslexia, she faced numerous challenges and struggled academically through her school years. After Ms. Barakat knew she had dyslexia she took necessary steps to understand and address her dyslexia, ultimately helping her navigate her academic journey more effectively. Ms. Barakat has been teaching for 18 years and this year is her 3rd year at West. Ms. Barakat loves reading, traveling, and collecting iron patches from different countries that she visits. It’s clear that, although Ms. Barakat faced obstacles like dyslexia, she was able to overcome it and become an amazing ELA teacher!